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La bandera dominicana
La bandera: the Dominican Republic's lunch plate of white rice, stewed red beans and pollo guisado
Across the Dominican Republic, from Santo Domingo office canteens to family kitchens in Santiago, the midday meal is la bandera, named after the flag: white rice, red beans stewed with squash, and braised chicken. It is eaten almost every weekday, often with a green salad and fried plantain. Dominican cooks start the chicken by caramelising sugar in the oil, which gives the sauce its deep brown colour, and they prize the concón, the crisp layer of rice at the bottom of the pot. The mistake to avoid is letting the sugar go past dark amber; burnt sugar makes the whole stew bitter. Chef's tip: marinate the chicken with lime, garlic and oregano the night before; it takes on far more flavour than a quick 30 minutes.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pollo guisado
For the habichuelas guisadas
For the rice
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Rub 3 ⅓ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone in, skin removed with 1 lime, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper and half of ¼ oz fresh coriander. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Wash your hands and board after handling raw chicken.
Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat, sprinkle in 1 tbsp sugar and let it melt without stirring for 2–3 minutes, until it bubbles and turns dark amber, like strong tea. Take care: it is very hot.
3 minStep 3: Shake the marinade off the chicken (keep it) and add the pieces to the caramel, standing back as it spits. Turn them for 5 minutes until coated a deep brown.
5 minStep 4: Add 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 2 tbsp tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in 1 ¼ cups water and the saved marinade, add 1 ⅜ oz pimento-stuffed green olives if using, cover and simmer over a low heat for 30–35 minutes, turning once.
35 minStep 5: The chicken is done when the meat pulls easily from the bone, the juices run clear and a thermometer next to the bone reads 165°F. Uncover and simmer for 5 minutes more to thicken the sauce, then stir in the rest of ¼ oz fresh coriander.
5 minStep 6: While the chicken simmers, make the beans. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a saucepan, fry ½ onion and 2 cloves garlic for 3 minutes, then stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste for 1 minute.
4 minStep 7: Add 7 oz butternut squash or calabaza (auyama), 1 lb cooked red kidney beans, 1 ¾ cups water, ½ tsp dried oregano and ¾ tsp salt. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the squash is soft. Mash a few pieces of squash against the side of the pan so they melt into the sauce and thicken it.
20 minStep 8: For the rice, bring 3 cups water, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 ½ tsp salt to the boil in a heavy pot. Add 14 oz long-grain white rice, stir once and boil uncovered over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes, until the water has sunk below the surface of the rice.
8 minStep 9: Stir once, cover tightly, turn the heat right down and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. The bottom layer will turn into a golden, crunchy concón.
20 minStep 10: Fluff the rice and serve each plate with rice, a ladle of beans and a piece of chicken with sauce. Scrape up the concón to share. Cool leftovers quickly and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat rice and chicken until steaming hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does la bandera dominicana take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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